Gene silencing of Dim-1, a member of the disorganized muscle family, in Haemonchus contortus

Abstract RNA interference has been widely used in parasites. In Haemonchus contortus , reproducible silencing has been reported; however, in this species an altered phenotype has been observed for only a few genes silenced by RNA interference. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of silencing Dim-1, a member of the disorganized muscle family on third stage larvae (L3) of H. contortus . Effective silencing of Dim-1 in L3 led to reduced L3 migration and slowed larval development from L3 to early L4. To our knowledge, this is the first report to demonstrate Dim-1 silencing affecting phenotypic characteristics of this parasite.